Single lesson
Isaiah 56: Salvation for Foreigners
Isaiah 56:1–8; Isaiah 56:9–12
Isaiah 56:1–8 calls people to live with justice, right conduct, Sabbath faithfulness and rejection of evil. It also speaks directly to foreigners and eunuchs who may fear being left outside Yahweh’s people. This lesson also brings together Israel’s Sinful Leaders.
Before you teach
This prophecy opens with Yahweh’s command to maintain justice and do what is right because his salvation is near and his righteousness will soon be revealed. It then names the blessed person’s faithfulness, forbids words of exclusion from foreigners and eunuchs, and answers with promises of welcome, joy, acceptance and further gathering.
Explain the central teaching of Isaiah 56: Salvation for Foreigners, using two details from the reading. Yahweh calls for faithful obedience and promises welcome to those who join themselves to him and hold fast his covenant. This passage warns that leadership is corrupted when those responsible are blind to danger, driven by gain, and confident in careless self-indulgence.
Welcome: Isaiah 56: Salvation for Foreigners
5 minIntroduce “Salvation for Foreigners”, “Israel’s Sinful Leaders” and locate Isaiah 56:1–8; Isaiah 56:9–12. Yahweh calls for faithful obedience and promises welcome to those who join themselves to him and hold fast his covenant. Invite each learner to name a detail or question they will listen for.
Isaiah 56:1, Isaiah 56:5, Isaiah 56:8
Read and explain the passage
12 minSalvation for Foreigners (Isaiah 56:1–8): Yahweh begins with a command: “Maintain justice and do what is right.” The reason is not hidden. His salvation is near and his righteousness will soon be revealed. The passage links daily conduct with confidence that Yahweh is about to show his saving and righteous action.
Israel’s Sinful Leaders (Isaiah 56:9–12): The passage begins with a summons to the animals of the field and forest to come and devour. Isaiah does not explain the image in detail here, but it immediately creates a sense of threat rather than safety. The warning tone prepares the reader for the strong criticism that follows in the next verses.
Read the selected verses together, pausing at “Salvation for Foreigners”, “Israel’s Sinful Leaders”. Use the source reading below and check the explanation against the words of the passage.
Isaiah 56:1, Isaiah 56:9
Discuss the details and their meaning
8 minUse the three questions below. Begin with “Why does Yahweh tell people to maintain justice and do what is right?” and allow time to find the supporting verses. This passage warns that leadership is corrupted when those responsible are blind to danger, driven by gain, and confident in careless self-indulgence. Ask learners to explain which details support their answer and to identify a question they would like to explore further.
Isaiah 56:1, Isaiah 56:2, Isaiah 56:4, Isaiah 56:6, Isaiah 56:12
Make and respond: Vision and message evidence map
12 minWork on “Isaiah 56: Salvation for Foreigners: Vision and message evidence map”. Follow the materials and steps below, using “Salvation for Foreigners”, “Israel’s Sinful Leaders” as reading headings. Each learner should include at least two accurate details and their verse references. Share one observation from the finished sheet and explain how it connects with the central teaching.
Isaiah 56:1, Isaiah 56:7, Isaiah 56:12
Closing: return to Israel’s Sinful Leaders
3 minRevisit Isaiah 56:9–12. Invite a learner to summarise what the group has learned about Israel’s Sinful Leaders and another to support the summary with a verse. Give learners a moment to complete their response sheet. They can share a question or, if appropriate for the group, join the optional prayer.
Isaiah 56:9, Isaiah 56:11, Isaiah 56:12
Questions to explore
Why does Yahweh tell people to maintain justice and do what is right?
Stay in verse 1 and look for the reason linked to Yahweh’s salvation and righteousness.
Isaiah 56:1
What specific actions describe the blessed and faithful person in this passage?
Collect the repeated actions from verses 2, 4 and 6 rather than giving a general answer.
Isaiah 56:2, Isaiah 56:4, Isaiah 56:6
What do the leaders’ own words show about their outlook?
Their speech centres on wine, strong drink, and confidence about tomorrow, which reveals what they are choosing to pursue.
Isaiah 56:12
Make, think or respond
Isaiah 56: Salvation for Foreigners: Vision and message evidence map
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or pens
- a Bible or the source reading on this page
Try it together
- Fold a sheet into three panels or draw three columns. Label them “What the passage describes”, “What is explained in the text”, “What question remains”.
- Read Isaiah 56:1–8; Isaiah 56:9–12. Use “Salvation for Foreigners”, “Israel’s Sinful Leaders” as your reading headings and add a short quotation or detail with its verse reference to each panel.
- Compare your notes with a partner. Check that every quotation is accurate and every conclusion has support in the passage.
- Circle an explanation the passage itself provides. Leave unexplained details as questions for further reading.
The finished sheet keeps the details of Isaiah 56: Salvation for Foreigners connected to their Bible references and gives the group a way to explain what they noticed.
Adapt for your group
- For learners who need more support, prepare the reading headings “Salvation for Foreigners”, “Israel’s Sinful Leaders” and let them match short quotations to the correct heading.
- For confident readers, compare two sections of Isaiah 56:1–8; Isaiah 56:9–12. Ask for a written explanation with two supporting references and one question that the text leaves open.
An optional closing prayer
“God, help us listen carefully as we read Isaiah 56:1–8; Isaiah 56:9–12. Help us understand what we have read, ask thoughtful questions and respond with care for others. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Isaiah 56
1 Yahweh says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is near and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast; who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Let no foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh speak, saying, “Yahweh will surely separate me from his people.” Do not let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For Yahweh says, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, choose the things that please me, and hold fast to my covenant,
5 I will give them in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than of sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
6 Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh to serve him, and to love Yahweh’s name, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast my covenant,
7 I will bring these to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
8 The Lord Yahweh, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “I will yet gather others to him, in addition to his own who are gathered.”
9 All you animals of the field, come to devour, all you animals in the forest.
10 His watchmen are blind. They are all without knowledge. They are all mute dogs. They can’t bark— dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.
11 Yes, the dogs are greedy. They can never have enough. They are shepherds who can’t understand. They have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter.
12 “Come,” they say, “I will get wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be as today, great beyond measure.”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.